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17 dogs found dead in Arizona pet boarding facility

Seventeen dogs were found dead Friday at a pet boarding service in Gilbert, Ariz., after one of the dogs apparently chewed through an air-conditioning power cord. The dogs died of heat exhaustion after the air

Seventeen dogs were found dead Friday at a pet boarding service in Gilbert, Ariz., after one of the dogs apparently chewed through an air-conditioning power cord.

The dogs died of heat exhaustion after the air conditioning went out on the side of the Green Acre boarding facility where the dogs were staying, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office called it a "tragic accident."

Workers at Green Acre last checked on the dogs at 11 p.m. Thursday and returned Friday at 5:30 a.m. to find a large number of the dogs dead and others on the brink of death, said Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The workers took the dogs out back and tried to cool them off by spraying them with water, but the dogs later died, Hegstrom said. Many of the dogs were piled up inside a shed, he said.

Owners of the facility returned from Florida on Friday evening and started calling the dog owners Saturday morning. Some dog owners who arrived at the facility on Saturday said they were initially told their pets had escaped.

Doug Hart was looking for his sister's dogs and was told the dogs had run away after the air conditioning went out.

"My mom and all these people have been driving around looking for their dogs for two hours to find out the dogs are dead in the shed," he said.

As of Sunday, there have been no charges filed against the owners of Green Acre. Hegstrom said there will be a follow-up investigation. "It doesn't end here," he said.